New York Case Law Search: Search New York Case Law, Court Opinions, and Precedent
In New York the Supreme Court is the trial court and the Court of Appeals is the top court, which is the first thing that confuses anyone researching here. Ask in plain English and get the on-point New York authority with the holding and a citation you can check.
How courts have ruled
Sample results, illustrative only. Informational research, not legal advice. Verify every citation.
In short
New York case law search means finding decisions of the New York Court of Appeals and the four departments of the Appellate Division that govern your issue. With Cases you describe the question in plain English, such as whether a New York commercial lease guaranty survives an assignment, and you get on-point New York precedents back as headnote cards with a plain-English summary, the holding, and a real citation you confirm in the official reporter. New York court names run opposite to most states: the Supreme Court is the trial-level court of general jurisdiction, and the Court of Appeals is the highest court. The Appellate Division sits in four departments, and under Mountain View Coach Lines v. Storms, 102 A.D.2d 663 (2d Dep't 1984), an Appellate Division decision binds all trial courts in the state unless the department covering that trial court has ruled otherwise, so an out-of-department decision can still control your case. Cases is informational research, not legal advice. Confirm every citation in the official reporter before you rely on it.
Who binds whom
Which New York court binds your case, and where the opinion is published
| Court | Precedential weight | Reporter |
|---|---|---|
| New York Court of Appeals | Highest court in New York. Binds every court in the state. | N.Y.3d (official), N.E.3d, N.Y.S.3d |
| Appellate Division (4 departments) | Intermediate appellate court. Binds trial courts statewide absent contrary authority from that trial court's own department. | A.D.3d (official), N.Y.S.3d |
| Supreme Court and County Court | Trial courts of general jurisdiction. Published decisions are persuasive, not binding. | Misc. 3d, N.Y.S.3d |
| Second Circuit and S.D.N.Y. / E.D.N.Y. | Bind on federal questions. Persuasive only on questions of New York law. | F.4th, F. Supp. 3d |
Example citation format: Mountain View Coach Lines, Inc. v. Storms, 102 A.D.2d 663 (2d Dep't 1984). Learn to read the parts in our guide to reading and writing legal citations.
How to search
Three steps from a New York legal question to an on-point case you can cite
01
Ask the question, not the keyword
Describe the New York issue the way you would explain it to a colleague. No terms and connectors, no proximity operators, no guessing at the phrasing a headnote editor used.
02
Read the holding on the card
Each result comes back as a headnote card with a plain-English summary and the holding, so you can tell in seconds whether the case is on point before you open the full opinion.
03
Verify the citation at the source
Every card shows a real citation. Confirm it in the official reporter and check it is still good law. You stay the gatekeeper on anything that goes into a filing.
Where it earns its keep
New York research areas where finding the on-point case is the whole job
Commercial and contract litigation
New York law governs a large share of American commercial contracts by choice-of-law clause, so Court of Appeals and First Department commercial decisions carry weight well beyond the state.
Landlord-tenant
The Housing Stability and Tenant Protection Act reshaped a large body of New York landlord-tenant law, which means pre-2019 authority has to be recency-checked with care.
Labor Law 240 and 241 construction claims
New York's scaffold law generates its own dense line of appellate authority that turns on fine factual distinctions, making on-point precedent especially valuable.
Free New York case law sources, and where they run out
You can read New York appellate opinions for nothing. The state courts publish them, Google Scholar indexes them, and CourtListener carries them with a usable search. If you already know the case you want, a free source will get you the text in under a minute, and there is no reason to pay for that.
Free sources run out in two places. The first is finding a case you do not already know about: keyword search over raw opinion text rewards whoever guesses the court's vocabulary, and a New York opinion that decides your exact issue in different words stays invisible. The second is verification. None of the free options tells you whether a case has been overruled, distinguished into nothing, or superseded by statute, which is the check that keeps a brief out of trouble.
Cases sits in the first gap. You ask in plain English, you get on-point New York precedent with the holding on the card, and you get a real citation to confirm at the source. It is priced on the page starting at 29 dollars per month, not quoted after a sales call like the incumbents, and you can read the honest comparison on our Westlaw alternative page. It is informational research, not legal advice, and you verify every citation before you rely on it.
Questions researchers ask
New York case law research, answered
How do I search New York case law?
To search New York case law, describe the issue in plain English, then work down from the Court of Appeals to the Appellate Division department covering your court. The New York Official Reports service at nycourts.gov publishes decisions free, and Google Scholar and CourtListener carry New York appellate opinions. Confirm any case in the official reporter, and check whether it is still good law before you cite it.
Is the New York Supreme Court the highest court?
No. In New York the Supreme Court is the trial court of general jurisdiction, and the Court of Appeals is the state's highest court. Between them sits the Appellate Division, organized in four departments. This naming runs opposite to the federal system and to most other states, and it is the single most common source of confusion for lawyers researching New York law from outside the state.
Are Appellate Division decisions binding on all New York trial courts?
Largely yes. Under Mountain View Coach Lines v. Storms, a trial court is bound by Appellate Division precedent from any department unless the department in which that trial court sits has decided the question differently. So a Second Department decision can bind a trial court in the Fourth Department if the Fourth Department has not spoken on the issue. Always check your own department first.
Where can I find New York case law for free?
The New York Official Reports site run by the state Law Reporting Bureau publishes Court of Appeals, Appellate Division, and selected trial court decisions at no charge, and it is the official source. Google Scholar and CourtListener also carry New York opinions. Free access does not include a citator, so a separate check that the case has not been overruled is still necessary.
What reporter is New York case law published in?
New York has its own official reporters: New York Reports (N.Y.3d) for the Court of Appeals, Appellate Division Reports (A.D.3d) for the Appellate Division, and Miscellaneous Reports (Misc. 3d) for trial courts. The same decisions appear unofficially in the North Eastern Reporter (N.E.3d) and New York Supplement (N.Y.S.3d). New York courts expect the official cite, so lead with it.
Search New York case law in plain English
Ask the way you would say it out loud and get the on-point New York precedents, each with a summary, the holding, and a citation you can check. Informational research, not legal advice.